Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-06-07-Speech-2-196"
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"en.20050607.25.2-196"2
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"After the fall of the Iron Curtain, we in the Czech Republic had to wait a disproportionately long 14 years before our citizens could decide in a referendum whether we wanted to join the European Union. They said ‘yes’. At that time, we agreed to humiliating conditions attached to accession, in which our highly efficient farming sector was granted only a quarter of the subsidies compared with our competitors in the old European Union countries, as well as conditions conflicting with the founding principles of the European Union – protection regulations preventing the free employment of our citizens in many of the old countries of the Union. We also find that services may not be directly provided in the old Member States, and we recently discovered how tricky it will be for businesses that logically wish to relocate – still within the EU – to our country with its highly qualified and industrious workforce, which works 40 hours per week rather than 35 and which does not demand exorbitant wages.
Indeed, it has only taken a year for us to be disabused of many naïve ideas. We want to believe at least in the basic promises that led our citizens to say ‘yes’ in the accession referendum. The promises were about financial resources, which, they said, would provide funds for the development of the Czech Republic as they had done before in Portugal, Ireland and elsewhere. It is therefore logical that we support the Commission’s proposal to maintain the 1.24%. Let me make clear that we are not against cuts. We are, alas, well aware that the cuts will only come at the expense of funds. Nevertheless, the administration of the Union will not become any cheaper: on the contrary, the dream of a European foreign minister, the dream of embassies, the more than 3000 opaque regulatory and advisory bodies, and the all-penetrating regulations set out in twenty languages will make operating the Union more expensive.
We all know where there are huge amounts of money from which savings can be made. The common agricultural policy, for example, pointlessly fritters away more than 40% of the budget, but is well known to be a politically untouchable entity, which Parliament, absurdly, is not even allowed to discuss. Only the funds remain to be cut. During the year, we have already learnt that the most frequently used magic word is ‘sustainable’, which is used without thinking to label all concepts. If we really wish to create a sustainable budget, one that does not lead to further disillusion ..."@en1
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